We're not Broken, just Bent
by Orange-Green
Summary: Chloe and Aubrey have to learn how to deal with not only their own greatest heartbreak but also how to deal with each other in the aftermath. Established Chaubrey. Other Characters will appear as well.
1. Chapter 1

A/N – Hello! To all the Glee folks who might have decided to check this out since that is what I typically write, I have not abandoned Brittana, just taking a little break to get my muse back on track. I have plenty more to write about Santana and Brittany, I just need a small break to get my thoughts together to finish the stories I have in the works.

I'm fairly new to the Pitch Perfect scene and while I realize the Chaubrey pairing isn't quite as popular as the BeChloe pairing, it just seems so much more plausible to me. I mean, did you see the look on Chloe's face when she was singing "Everybody look to the left" and was staring towards Aubrey? I love them. This is my first Chaubrey fic, I hope I do them justice. This is not a happy story but there is nothing too explicit in it. I generally believe in a happy ending but I also believe it often takes time to get there. In a perfect world, Beca and Jesse would be in the same location as Aubrey and Chloe as well as a few of the other Bella's so while this takes place years later, they are still together. I don't own anything you recognize. Most likely a 3-shot. Thanks for stopping by.

The title is from Pink's song, "Just Give me a Reason".

**We're not Broken Just Bent**

_It's in the stars…it's been written in the scars on our hearts…_

Chapter One

"Caleb, come on finish your breakfast or you'll be late for school." Aubrey Posen-Beale said as she brushed past the boy at the kitchen table.

The six year old boy lifted his spoon to his mouth, slurping loudly. Chloe Posen-Beale reached from her spot next to him and ruffled his reddish brown hair, making a silly face at him. The boy giggled and wiped his face with the back of his hand.

"Come on bud, you heard Mom, we can't be late. Let's get a move on champ!"

Caleb nodded and quickly hopped up from the table and ran for the bathroom to brush his teeth. Aubrey dodged the boy as he dashed down the hallway. Smiling, she followed him into the bathroom and leaned down and pressed a kiss on top of his unruly head of hair.

"You excited for tonight?" she asked, still smiling. "Your first practice…Are you sure you want to be in the play? We could sign you up for soccer or anything else you want to do. You don't have to be in the after school play just because you think we want you to be."

"I know Mom." The boy replied around the mouth full of toothpaste and his toothbrush. "I wanna do it. I'm gonna make everybody laugh."

Aubrey smiled tenderly at her son and nodded. "You're going to be the best shoe shiner this town has ever seen! But remember, the main thing is to have fun!"

He smiled back, toothpaste all over his face and nodded excitedly. The blonde sighed before slipping out of the bathroom, heading back for the kitchen. Her brow was knitted worriedly as she stepped back into the room where her wife sat nursing a cup of steaming coffee.

"Bree, you're giving yourself wrinkles again." Chloe called softly. "I'll still love you if you're as wrinkled as your great aunt Jill but really, there's nothing worth getting that worried about. It's just a grade school play."

Aubrey met Chloe's eye and shook her head with a wry grin, uncertain how the redhead always seemed to be able to read her thoughts. "I know." She replied. "I just worry. I don't want to push him into something he doesn't really want to do. He knows how much we love singing and dancing and…I just don't want to be my father."

Chloe immediately stood from her spot at the table and stepped closer to her wife, gripping her arms in a loving squeeze. "Aubrey, you are nothing like your father. You know that! And you also know how much Caleb loves acting out and pretending…he always has. Remember when he was four and he acted out the entire story of Peter Rabbit using our pots and pans and the poor kitten from next door? He wants to do this and he'll be amazing at it."

"You're right…as usual." The blonde replied with an eye roll.

"Finally you admit it."

Aubrey chuckled and pulled the shorter woman in for a hug. Chloe wrapped her arms around her wife tightly, both sighing contentedly. Until the blonde suddenly pulled back sharply.

"You can take him tonight right? To practice? I have that deposition first thing tomorrow morning and I need to make sure I have everything in order-"

"Of course." Chloe interrupted, raising a hand to calm the other woman. "We talked about this already, like three times. I'll take him and you will be awesome as always at your deponent thing."

"You're sure? You can leave the studio early?" The blonde replied, choosing not to correct the other woman.

"Aubrey," Chloe said patiently, "We own the dance studio, I can leave a little early to get our son to his first play practice. Babe, relax, we've got this!"

The redhead chuckled slightly at her wife. While Aubrey had relaxed considerably since her days at Barden as the slave driving captain of the Bellas, she still had her moments of panic. But Chloe was more than happy to always be there to provide the calming, optimistic voice of reason to her sometimes frantic, self-doubting wife.

Aubrey felt herself relaxing as she looked into Chloe's clear blue eyes. The shorter woman always knew how to respond, always knew just what she needed. They had been married for almost eight years and the blonde woke up every morning eternally grateful for the woman next to her. She once again found herself thinking that her law practice, the dance studio…none of it would matter without Chloe and Caleb.

"I'm the luckiest woman alive." Aubrey whispered.

Chloe smiled tenderly. "I don't know, I might have you beat there. Now get to work woman, you've got a family to support and your wife has expensive taste."

Aubrey's grin widened and she pressed a quick kiss to the redhead's cheek before heading to gather her briefcase to leave for work. Chloe trailed behind slightly, also smiling. "Oh, don't forget you promised to get off work early tomorrow so we can have dinner with Beca and Jesse. So work your ass off today so you blow that deposition out of the water in the morning and can take off early!"

"Yes Ma'am." Aubrey responded, picking her keys up from the table. "I love you babe, see you tonight!"

Chloe waved again as the blonde closed the door behind her.

Aubrey stepped out into the parking lot heading to her car, her mind already preoccupied as to the tasks of the day before her. She almost ran into one of their neighbors, Eddie, a teenage boy who was getting into his car that was parked next to hers.

She quirked a brow at the boy, nose buried in his phone as he fished his keys out of his pockets.

"Good morning Eddie." She said politely. Chloe was always telling her to be polite and reach out to their neighbors.

The boy glanced up from his phone briefly and nodded. His lip quirked in a half smile as he realized who was speaking to him. "Hey there Miss Aubrey. How's Chloe today?"

The blonde forced down a growl at the boy's obvious smirk. She had no doubt that he had a thing for her wife. But who could blame him?

"She's just fine." She replied stiffly. "I hope you at least put that phone down when you're driving. Texting and driving kills you know."

The boy looked at her as if she had grown a second head and quickly scrambled into his own car muttering for her to have a nice day. The blonde sighed and slipped into her own car, fastening her seatbelt and checking all of her mirrors twice before slowly backing out her space.

xxxx

It was after 7:30 and Aubrey was exhausted. She tiredly rubbed the bridge of her nose and glanced out the window of her office. She turned her gaze to the clock on her desk and realized the sun had set a while ago, blanketing the city in darkness, minus the city lights.

She smiled briefly, thinking that Caleb and Chloe must be home from his first practice by now. Unless the redhead had decided to indulge the boy and stop for ice cream as he so often wanted. Aubrey picked up her phone and sent out a quick text asking if she had done just that, planning to stop to pick something up if she hadn't.

She waited ten minutes without a reply before deciding to pack up her things and head home. Just as she was shouldering her bag to head out the door, Aubrey heard her phone sounding, an unfamiliar ring informing her the caller wasn't anyone she particularly wanted to hear from at this time of night. With a groan, she dropped back into her desk chair and fished out her cell phone.

"This is Aubrey Posen-Beale." She said unenthusiastically.

"Hello Ms. Posen-Beale. Is this Chloe Posen-Beale's wife and emergency contact?'

Aubrey's blood chilled at the formal tone on the other end of the line. "Yes it is. Chloe is my wife. Who is this?"

"Ms. Posen-Beale," The voice responded softly. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this…but there's been an accident. I'm calling from General Hospital…your wife and son were just brought in. I would recommend you get here as soon as you can…Did you hear me ma'am? I said there's been an accident…"

xxxx

Aubrey busted through the hospital doors, her heels clicking as she strode purposefully toward the nurses desk. The woman stationed there at least had the decency to look intimidated as the blonde in her power suit came to an abrupt halt in front of the desk.

"Chloe and Caleb Posen-Beale. I was told they were brought here…where are they?"

The nurse typed quickly and glanced at her computer screen. "I'm sorry Miss, I don't have any information for you. The doctor will be out with you shortly if you just take a seat in the waiting room."

Aubrey clenched her jaw and drummed her nails over the counter painfully slowly. "No. I was called to come here because my wife and son were in an accident. I expect answers now. Where are they? Are they alright?"

"I'm sorry Miss, but I don't have any information." The nurse replied in a shaky voice. The blonde clenched both her jaw and her fist, realizing that the poor woman would not be able to give her any information. She nodded curtly and strode off toward the waiting room, hoping to find another nurse to interrogate once she arrived.

Aubrey stopped short when she located the emergency department waiting room. There were numerous people there in various stages of distress. She squared her shoulders and strode toward a chair in the corner of the room. When she finally took her seat, the severity of the situation finally settled on her as she realized that she had absolutely no idea of what had happened and of how badly her wife and son could have been injured. She refused to believe it was anything too serious.

Still, after almost a half an hour had passed with no word, Aubrey awkwardly pulled her phone from her bag with fumbling fingers. She quickly typed out a text to Beca. Within minutes a reply chirped that the brunette was on her way.

"Aubrey?" Beca called as she rushed into the waiting area a short time later. "What's going on, have you heard anything?"

The blonde rose to her feet shakily and shook her head. "No, still nothing. No one fucking knows anything. I've been here for hours!"

Beca clenched her fists, unsure of what else to do. She allowed Aubrey to pace the waiting room as they waited for answers. Jesse came rushing in a short while later, followed by Stacie and Amy, two of the Bella's who had remained in the area after graduation.

The friends all sat silently while Aubrey alternated between pacing and fidgeting in her seat, awaiting news. Finally, hours later, a doctor came into the waiting area.

"Family of Chloe Posen-Beale?"

Aubrey was in the man's face before the last syllable had sounded. "That's my wife. What's going on? Is she alright? Where is she? Where's my son?"

The doctor sighed and nodded in acknowledgement. "Mrs. Posen-Beale, I'm Dr. Jacobs, I've been seeing to your wife and son. Your wife Chloe…she's just coming out of surgery. Her injuries are rather serious but I don't believe they're life threatening at this time. Barring no complication, I think she should be just fine in time."

Aubrey breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed Beca's hand that she had been holding. "Thank you! Thank God…And Caleb? Our son…is he ok?"

Dr. Jacobs looked pained as he sighed and awkwardly scratched his jaw. Beca stepped closer and squeezed Aubrey's hand tightly. "I'm so sorry." The Doctor began. "I'm so sorry but…your son didn't survive. Your son is dead Mrs. Posen-Beale."

Aubrey vaguely remember crumbling to her knees, an anguished cry escaping her lips as Beca tried to hold her upright at the news that her only child was dead.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N – I think I forgot to throw in the usual disclaimer…I don't own anything you recognize. And the title is from Pink's Just Give me a Reason. Safe to say this is more Aubrey-centric. Oh and I don't have a beta so sorry for any mistakes. Thanks for reading!

_It's in the stars…it's been written in the scars on our hearts…_

_We're not broken, just bent…_

Chapter Two

Aubrey was struggling to control her breathing and had a fist clasped in front of her mouth. She was seated in one of the hard plastic chairs still in the waiting room. The blonde startled slightly at the feeling of a cool, damp cloth being placed on the back of her neck. Beca smiled sadly and dropped a sympathetic hand on the taller woman's shoulder.

"How did you know…" Aubrey said quietly.

Beca shrugged. "Chloe told me. She said I needed to be next in command in case you got sick and she wasn't around."

Aubrey swallowed thickly with a nod. "Oh God Beca…how am I going to tell her? What are we going to do? And when are they going to let me see her? Do you think something went wrong?"

The blonde clenched her jaw and once again clamped her fist to her mouth, swallowing down the bile. Beca pulled the older woman closer.

"I'm sure they're just getting her settled Aubrey. And then…and then you two will get through this. And we'll all be here with you."

Before Aubrey could respond, the same doctor came strolling purposefully back into the waiting room. "Miss?" He called, heading in Aubrey's direction.

The blonde stood to her feet shakily as the doctor came to a stop, seemingly in a hurry.

"I'm terribly sorry Mrs. Posen-Beale but…we need an official identification of your son."

Beca clenched her fists at the doctor's lack of tact. Aubrey once again swallowed thickly, visibly shaking. "I can do it." The brunette replied quickly.

"No." Aubrey said in a whisper. "I'm his mother…I'll do it. But…where is Chloe? You said she was ok but I still haven't gotten to see her. What is going on? I just lost my son, tell me where my wife is!"

The doctor nodded and sighed. "Well, there was a slight complication-nothing too serious. It shouldn't be much longer-"

"What kind of complication?" Beca interrupted before even Aubrey could voice her own concerns. "This is bullshit. We've been out here waiting forever and you just come out here telling her she has to ID her dead son and 'oh by the way' there were complications with your wife? What the fuck?"

"Beca-" Jesse warned, stepping closer to his girlfriend.

"Just tell me…is she alright?" Aubrey asked, silencing them both. "Is Chloe going to die too?"

The doctor looked properly chastised and he sighed again. "It's just a slight complication. We discovered another bleed out internally but it appears that we've corrected it. We're keeping her in recovery for additional observation and as soon as she's ready to be moved, you'll be able to be with her. I truly don't anticipate this being more than a minor setback. As for your son…"

"Ok." Aubrey interrupted. "I want to see my boy."

xxxx

Aubrey timidly approached her son lying on the morgue table. The attending coroner smiled sympathetically and stepped to the side. The blonde felt the breath leave her body as she finally saw her boy. He looked peaceful, the carnage of the wreck having been washed away. She whimpered and dropped a shaking hand to his still unruly head of hair.

Choking on a sob, Aubrey once again found herself trying to breathe. The doctor took sympathy on her and stepped closer, hoping to distract her.

"The first responding emergency crew reported that he was perfectly belted into his booster seat in the back of the SUV. It was just one of those things…the driver side of the vehicle actually sustained the most extensive damage but for whatever reason…I don't believe he suffered."

Aubrey released a shaky breath and nodded gratefully. "That's Caleb…that's my baby."

xxxx

By the time Aubrey returned from identifying Caleb, the doctor had come back to inform them that Chloe was being moved to her own room in the intensive care unit and it should only be another few minutes before she was allowed back to see her wife.

The blonde dropped wearily onto the hard plastic chair once again to wait.

"Ok, here's the game plan." Jesse said decisively. "Aubrey, if it's ok with you, Beca and I will run back to your place and get some things together for you. We'll get you a change of clothes so you'll be more comfortable here and we'll grab anything that Chloe might want while she's in here. Is that alright?"

Aubrey nodded slightly, seemingly in a daze. She reached for her purse and fished out her keys, handing them off to Jesse without so much as a glance.

"Jesse," Beca said, eyeing the blonde worriedly. "Think you could take Stacie or Amy? I think I should stay here with Aubrey and Chloe."

Jesse nodded, pocketing the keys. "Ok. We'll be back soon. Aubrey, is there anything specific you want me to grab?"

"It doesn't matter." Aubrey whispered.

Jesse and Beca exchanged a worried glance before he stood, looking to both Stacie and Amy to see if they had a preference for going or staying with Aubrey.

Amy's eyes widened. "Don't look at me. I don't know anything about skinny bitches underoos. Stacie, you're up. What I can do though, is round us all up some coffee."

Jesse chuckled and nodded. He pressed a quick kiss to Beca's temple before heading out with Stacie to gather what the brunette would deem appropriate and Amy went in search of coffee.

It was only a short time later that Aubrey was told she could see Chloe. The blonde clutched Beca's hand tightly as they somberly walked down the sterile corridor toward the redhead's room. Aubrey clenched her jaw as she finally stepped closer to her wife's hospital bed.

Chloe was pale but appeared to be resting comfortably. Her left arm was braced tightly to her chest due to her broken clavicle from the seatbelt. Her head had a thick bandage covering the left side and she had a few other scratches and bruises but overall looked better than Aubrey expected. The attending nurse explained again that the internal bleeding seemed to be under control but with her head injury, it could be a while yet before Chloe regained consciousness.

Aubrey reached for her wife's free hand, holding it tenderly. She hadn't even had a chance to pull a chair closer to the bed when a soft knock sounded on the door.

Beca stood almost awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other. "Aubrey…there's a police officer here. He wants to talk to you about the accident."

The blonde nodded and gently placed her wife's hand back on the bed. She exited the room and nodded wearily to the officer waiting for her in the hallway.

"Good evening ma'am." He said politely. "I'm sorry to interrupt you and I'll try not to keep you long. Has she come around at all?"

Aubrey wrapped her arms around herself as if she had caught a chill and shook her head 'no'. "Not yet."

The officer nodded. "Well from the scene investigation it appears it was a single vehicle accident. Tire marks show she drove off of the road onto the right shoulder, apparently overcorrected and crossed over into the median on the left side. The sharp turn caused the vehicle to roll until it came to a rest in the median. A vehicle traveling by noticed the car and called for help."

"So you don't know why she swerved in the first place?" Aubrey questioned softly.

"No ma'am. We didn't see anything on the scene to suggest there was another car, no skid marks from the other direction. It could have been an animal or she could have simply been distracted while driving. It was odd to see that all four tires left markings on the shoulder, meaning the entire car exited the road on the right side. It's more common to see only the right two tires drop off the road and result in the overcorrection. Looks like we won't know what happened until she wakes up and can tell us. Well ladies, I'll get out of your hair. I'll be in touch."

Aubrey and Beca both watched the officer walk away before turning back to Chloe's room, Jesse and Stacie rejoining the group a short time later.

xxxx

Three days passed and Chloe had not regained consciousness. Aubrey had left the room just long enough to call her parents and Chloe's mother to tell them what had happened and to begin the process of planning a funeral for her six year old son.

Mr. and Mrs. Posen were coming in the morning of the funeral and planned to leave shortly thereafter as relations with their daughter had not improved with her marrying Chloe a year after their graduation from Barden. Chloe's mother had not been much more supportive of the union, simply because she felt they were too young and Aubrey was just finishing her first year of law school.

Mrs. Beale had been driving back and forth between her daughter's hospital room and her teenage son. As a single mother with a son still in middle school, the woman had a difficult time balancing both with the hour distance between the hospital and her home. But still she had come every morning, only leaving in time to head back home for her job in the local diner.

Aubrey had relied on Mrs. Beale staying with Chloe while she made the funeral arrangements for Caleb. The three days passed in a blur.

The morning of the funeral, Aubrey found herself doubled over the toilet in the public bathroom of the hospital. The thought of attending the funeral without Chloe by her side made Aubrey physically ill but the redhead was just beginning to show signs of responding to stimulation as they cut back her medication and the burial could no longer wait. Beca had suggested they have a memorial ceremony when Chloe was also able to attend and so the burial itself was to be a small affair.

It rained while the friends and family gathered in the cemetery, which was fitting of the somber occasion. Jesse held a large black umbrella over both Aubrey and Beca as the minister ended the short eulogy. The blonde had of course agreed to have the attendees back to their apartment for a small brunch as is required of polite society according to Mrs. Posen.

Beca helped Aubrey tend to everyone and kept throwing worried glances the other woman's way. Aubrey simply wanted to put the day behind her and go back to her wife's hospital room but decorum prevailed. She was just gathering a fresh plate of hors devours with a sigh when her father finally cornered her.

"I trust this will be a proper lesson in priorities." He said stiffly.

Aubrey stopped short and stared up at her father, an unreadable expression on her face. "Excuse me Sir?"

Mr. Posen cleared his throat with a frown. "Priorities Aubrey. You've always had a problem with priorities. First that Bella nonsense in college. Then your ill-advised marriage after your first year of law school…at Barden University School of Law of all places. You could have gone to a much more prestigious school if you had simply had your priorities in order and applied yourself. And now…my grandson is dead because you decided a silly school play is an appropriate pastime for a boy. Perhaps if you had him in sports like a normal boy, or even an academic club, this wouldn't have happened."

Aubrey felt that familiar feeling of worthlessness washing over her at her father's words. She also struggled to swallow against the rising bile in her throat as Mr. Posen slipped from the kitchen with a disapproving glare, passing Beca on his way.

"Everything ok in here?" The brunette asked, eyeing the blonde cautiously. She reached and took the plate from her friend's trembling hands.

Aubrey clenched her jaw and nodded, exhaling a shaky breath. "Can you handle this? I want to get back to the hospital."

"Yeah, of course." Beca replied. Aubrey immediately pushed past her and slipped from the kitchen leaving the brunette to wonder what she had missed.

xxxx

The next morning, a soft moan sounding from Chloe's bed had Aubrey leaning closer, holding her breath as blue eyes finally fluttered open.

"Bree?" Chloe muttered with a sigh. "What's goin' on?"

Aubrey felt tears stinging her eyes and she gently squeezed her wife's hand, bringing it to her lips. "You're in the hospital Chloe…there was an accident. You were in a car accident."

The redhead's brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of Aubrey's words, and her surroundings. "Accident?" she whispered.

Aubrey nodded wordlessly.

"When?" Chloe continued. "I don't-"

"Easy." Aubrey replied, blinking away the tears. "Just take your time. Do you need water?"

Chloe whimpered, grimacing in pain. "Aubrey…"

"Hey, hey you're ok." The blonde said, brushing her own tears away, as well as her wife's. "Do you remember anything about the accident Chloe? Anything at all?"

Aubrey could tell the redhead was struggling to catch her breath in her fear and disorientation and she hated to add to that by having to break the news to her about their son.

"Chloe…"

"What Aubrey?" Chloe exclaimed, fighting panic. "What are you not telling me? Something bad happened didn't it? In the wreck?"

The blonde felt her lower lip trembling. She nodded and felt her heart break at the sight of Chloe's face falling. "Caleb…Chloe you don't remember anything?"

If possible, Chloe's face paled even more at the mention of her son. "Caleb? Aubrey…no. No. No he's not…tell me he's fine! Aubrey! You tell me!"

"God, Chloe…" Aubrey cried. "He's…he didn't make it Chloe. The car rolled and…Caleb's gone."

"No!" Chloe wailed. "Aubrey no!"

The blonde grimaced, uncertain how to help comfort her frantic wife. The monitors attached to Chloe began to beep loudly and within seconds, a hoard of nurses rushed into the room. Chloe cried out in pain as she began to sob. Aubrey watched helplessly as yet another sedative was injected into her wife's IV, silencing her within moments.

xxxx

Hour later, when Chloe woke again, Aubrey was seated next to the bed, her head in her hands. The blonde sighed and lifted her head, once again greeted by pain filled blue eyes. She sighed and pushed herself to her feet.

Aubrey stepped closer to the bed, once again reaching for Chloe's uninjured hand.

"I wasn't dreaming?" The redhead asked dully. "Our son…my baby…he's gone?"

The blonde clenched her jaw and nodded once.

"Who was driving?"

Aubrey sighed again, avoiding meeting her wife's gaze. "You were…it was just the two of you in the car. Are you sure you don't remember anything? You went off the road…why? You must remember something."

Chloe release a shuddering sigh, tears once again leaking. "No. I don't…I can't remember. Oh God, I killed him…I killed my baby…"

As her wife once again began to sob uncontrollably, Aubrey hated herself for not trying to convince her otherwise.

xxxx

A few days later, Chloe was released and Aubrey found herself helping the injured woman back into their apartment. When Chloe realized she had missed Caleb's funeral, she had needed to be sedated once again. But since waking a third time, the redhead had been eerily calm.

Even Mrs. Beale had been unable to break her daughter from her melancholy. Chloe was still unable to remember anything from the wreck. She could recall Caleb's practice but nothing after getting into the car. The police officer had called back a number of times asking for an update but Chloe's frustration grew as she was unable to supply any details.

For the first time since they met each other, it seemed Aubrey and Chloe had no idea how to interact with one another. Aubrey could see Chloe sinking deeper and deeper into her guilt but she had no idea how to pull her out of it. The blonde had her own questions swirling through her mind but she struggled to subdue them as she tried her best to tend to her wife.

Finally, a week after Chloe was released, the redhead summoned the courage to voice her concerns. Aubrey had been the ideal wife, attentive to all Chloe's needs, but the two had barely spoken, the silence overwhelming.

"Do you blame me?"

Aubrey stopped short. She was in the middle of clearing away Chloe's dinner, which had barely been touched. She glanced up and met her wife's weary blue eyes. She tried to summon an encouraging smile but it didn't reach her own eyes.

"Of course not." She finally whispered. "It was an accident right?"

Chloe's eyes teared, as they seemed to do every day, and she nodded. "I'm so sorry Aubrey…I wish I could remember but…I can't! I wish I could…trade places but…"

Aubrey felt her heart clench at her wife's pained words. "Chloe…"

"I need to see him…I didn't get to go to my son's funeral…I need to go to the cemetery."

The blonde clenched her jaw, working to steady her breathing. "Ok." She said softly. "I'll call Beca tomorrow…she'll take you."

A look of confused washed over Chloe's face as her wife's words registered. She had hoped this was something they could do together, to finally reconnect, but Aubrey's cold expression left the redhead's hope falling.

Beca did in fact arrive first thing in the morning to take Chloe out to the graveside but Aubrey refused to go. She cited the need to catch up on work and emails after having missed so much time in the office while remaining in the hospital waiting for Chloe to wake up. Chloe returned, finally feeling a bit of closure at having been given the opportunity to finally say goodbye to her son.

xxxx

Before they knew it, two months had passed since the accident. Aubrey threw herself into her work if for no other reason than to distract herself from how quiet their home had become without the six year old boy in it. Chloe was still moving slowly but went into the dance studio when she was able. The medications she was still required to take left her feeling sick and groggy. An antidepressant had also been added to the regimen.

Their friends had gone about their own business, seemingly forgetting that the family had just been torn apart. Beca and Jesse remained close by, checking in often as the two tried to return to their normal lives.

Chloe and Aubrey continued to drift apart, unsure of how to speak to the other. Chloe still could not remember anything about the accident and felt crippling guilt over the whole incident. Aubrey tried to convince the redhead that she herself hadn't blamed her wife for a second but the more time that passed, the more Aubrey felt herself questioning. There had to be a logical explanation for why the car ran off the road. But unfortunately, with Chloe unable to remember anything, the blonde was left with no answers as to why her son had to die that night. The uncertainty was slowly driving her mad.

The time since the accident had passed with no intimacy and barely any physical interaction between Chloe and Aubrey at all. The redhead finally summoned the courage to try to connect with her wife, craving a connection with the woman she loved.

The moon was streaming through the blinds when she rolled onto her side, facing Aubrey, who though she tried to fake it, was obviously awake as well. Chloe scooted closer, pulling the thin blonde closer to her.

Aubrey clenched her jaw as Chloe began to press kisses down her neck, sliding her hand under the blonde's pajama top. The redhead felt her courage increase at the sigh that escaped her wife's lips. Chloe moved even closer, practically straddling her wife as she continued to kiss the bare skin of Aubrey's neck and chest.

"Stop."

Chloe's breath caught as she felt the blonde pushing her away, hands on her shoulders. "Bree?"

"Stop Chloe…I can't."

Chloe pulled back sharply, as if she had been burned, trying to hide the hurt she felt at being rejected. "Aubrey…What is going on? I miss you."

Aubrey sighed as she pushed Chloe away, bolting upright and standing next to the bed. "I'm sorry Chloe, that I don't feel up to having sex with you right now but our son is dead. I just don't feel like it right now. I would appreciate it if you could respect that please."

"Respect…" Chloe repeated, almost dumfounded. "Aubrey…I'm just trying to…We're falling apart! We barely talk, let alone have any physical contact at all. I miss my wife! I need you Aubrey, we need each other! Stop pushing me away, please! We don't have to have sex, we don't. We can just hold each other…please."

"I just-" Aubrey replied, clenching her fists. "I just can't."

She rushed into the en suite bathroom and slammed the door behind her. Chloe just watched her go sadly, before gathering a pillow and a blanket and slowly making her way out onto the couch.

When Aubrey exited the bathroom, she was surprised to find the bed empty. Noticing the pillow and blanket missing, she immediately know where her wife had wandered off to. She wanted to go to her, to talk to her. But she couldn't bring herself to address the things that were truly weighing on her mind.

They were only a few rooms apart but both women felt there were miles between them and neither slept. Aubrey dozed off finally just as the sun began to filter into the room only to wake shortly after. She turned her head to the side where Chloe should be and sighed. The blonde clenched her jaw and wearily pushed herself from the bed.

She quietly walked into the living room and saw the lump that was Chloe still on the couch, completely covered by blankets. Aubrey stood off behind the couch, hoping that if she couldn't see her wife she might be able to get the words out.

"Chloe…I'm sorry." She said softly. "I…I don't mean to push you away it's just…I'm so lost right now. I don't know what to do, how to be what you need. I want to be though, I love you, you know that. But how do we go on from this? What do we do?"

Tears were beginning to form but Aubrey steeled herself against them.

"I'll try harder." She continued firmly. "I'm sorry Chloe. Just please be patient with me and I'll try not to push you away. I do want us to work this out."

The silence that met the blonde's ears caused her heart to ache. Seconds later, the front door opened and Chloe stepped through the door, having gone for an early morning walk. She eyed Aubrey cautiously as she stepped further into the room.

"Did you need something?" The redhead asked quietly.

Aubrey dropped her gaze back to the couch and the empty blankets piled there and shook her head once, sadly, her energy draining at the realization she had bared her soul to an empty couch. "No."

Chloe sighed and then left the room, nothing left to say.

xxxx

"Bree, we need to talk." Chloe said softly, a few weeks later. She was determined to actually have a conversation with her wife, even if Aubrey seemed intent on avoiding her. The blonde had been working even longer hours at the law firm and the two barely saw each other.

Aubrey stopped short and eyed her wife where she was sitting on the ottoman across from her. Chloe swallowed thickly at the look on the blonde's face. It reminded her of the look Aubrey had worn when she kicked Mary Elise out of the Bellas for sleeping with a Treble.

"Aubrey…I'm worried about you! You haven't been to Caleb's grave…you don't want to talk about him…I can't just forget him but you seem perfectly content in doing just that. You're not grieving and I'm worried about you."

"Excuse me?" Aubrey replied coldly when her wife's words registered. "I'm not _grieving_?"

Chloe sighed, wringing her hands together nervously. "Babe, I'm just…Maybe you should talk to someone. You don't want to talk to me and that's fine but maybe someone…"

"I'm sorry." Aubrey exclaimed with her fists clenched. "I'm sorry that I'm a little behind you on the grieving spectrum! But if you recall, I didn't exactly have time to fall apart when I learned that my son had been killed because I also didn't know whether or not my _wife_ was going to survive. We can't both fall apart so forgive me if I'm just trying to make the best of a really shitty situation!"

"I just want to help you." Chloe whispered brokenly.

"Well you can't."

Chloe stood from the ottoman and followed Aubrey into the kitchen when the blonde tried to escape. "Please Aubrey, this is good. We're talking. Just talk to me! Come on Bree, please!"

Aubrey felt trapped and threatened and felt herself losing control.

"I can't Chloe, I can't even look at you without seeing him!" she finally exploded. "He's gone and I have no idea why because no one can tell me what happened that night. And I'm just so angry! Tell me…were you texting? While you were driving?"

"What?" Chloe cried. "Aubrey no, I would never…you know I wouldn't do that!"

"Well there has to be some explanation for why you drove our car off the road and killed our son!"

The two froze, merely a foot of space separating them. Aubrey steeled herself against the tears pooling in her wife's blue eyes.

"So you do blame me." The redhead once again whispered, her voice cracking. "Finally something we still have in common then."

Aubrey watched as Chloe turned on her heel, tears streaming and headed for their bedroom. Before she made it to the hallway, the blonde's voice caused her to stop short.

"I think…I think I should leave for a little while…maybe get a motel room or something."

Chloe glanced over her shoulder but didn't meet Aubrey's gaze. "Fine."

Aubrey squared her shoulders and silently followed into the bedroom to pack what she would need. Chloe closed herself into the bathroom and didn't come out until she heard the front door slam.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N – This is the last chapter, thanks so much for reading! Same disclaimer, I unfortunately don't own anything.

Chapter 3

_It's in the stars…it's been written in the scars on our hearts…_

_We're not broken, just bent…_

_And we can learn to love again…_

xxxx

"You should really go check on Chloe."

Beca frowned at Amy's words on the other end of the phone. She was out running errands and had not been expecting the blonde to have such a serious tone. "Why, what's going on?"

"Apparently they split up or something." Amy replied. "Chloe is a mess. You should go make sure red isn't going postal or anything. And get her to take a shower…or maybe take out the trash…something…I'm a little worried about her."

"Wait, they split up?" Beca exclaimed. "How do you know? When?"

Amy sighed on the other end. "We made plans, she didn't show, so I went by to check on her. The place was a wreck and she was upset. I don't know when they split though, haven't heard from either of them in like two weeks."

"Ok, I'll talk to her." Beca replied with a sigh of her own. "And then I'm going to kick both their asses."

She disconnected the call with another sigh. "Always up to me to fix a Bella mess."

xxxx

"Come on Chloe, open up!" Beca called, knocking on the apartment door. She had been there outside of the apartment calling for the redhead for about ten minutes and she knew the neighbors were getting a little agitated. She finally heard shuffling coming from inside. When the door cracked open slightly, Beca pushed her way in, shutting it softly behind her.

"Jesus." She muttered as she made her way further into the apartment.

Clothes were scattered everywhere and in the kitchen, dishes were left covering the countertops. Chloe herself was just standing there, pale, with dark circles under her eyes and hair a mess as she eyed the brunette. In her hand was an almost empty bottle of brown liquor.

"Hey Chlo." Beca said awkwardly, trying to smile at the other woman.

"Beca." Chloe croaked, her voice hoarse.

"Jesus Chloe…what's going on? Amy called me." The brunette asked softly. She stepped closer to her friend. "Come on Chloe, it's me, you can talk to me. What is all this?"

Chloe's bottom lip began to tremble and she wiped at her face with her free hand. She staggered slightly and Beca reached to steady her. "She left me."

The brunette helped steer Chloe to the couch as the redhead began to cry. "Just tell me what happened Chloe, why did Aubrey leave?"

"Because she finally admitted that she blames me. She blames me for Caleb…she said so. And so she left me. We haven't talked in a week. A week! I didn't mean to Beca…I didn't. I didn't mean to kill him! I'd do anything to be able to give her back our little boy...I swear!"

"Oh Chloe." Beca sighed. "She didn't mean that…she knows you would never hurt Caleb. You did not kill him Chloe!"

"No." The older woman replied, shaking her head almost frantically. "It had to be my fault…I was driving. Who else could it be? I just wish I could remember…maybe if I could remember and Aubrey could finally hear how it happened she'd come back to me…Just wish I could remember!"

"Stop Chloe, stop!" Beca reached and tried to stop Chloe from smacking her head as she continued to mumble that she just wanted to remember the night. The brunette finally pulled Chloe to her tightly and held her when she dissolved into sobs, desperately clinging to the smaller woman.

When Chloe finally pulled away a short time later, she wiped her tears away with her hand and released a shuddering sigh. "What will I do without her? And Caleb…" she whispered.

"She just needs a little time." Beca soothed. "Aubrey loves you and you know that. She just needs a little time. Sure not knowing how the accident happened must be driving her crazy but she doesn't really blame you, she's just hurting. She knows you would never hurt Caleb."

"I just…want my life back." The redhead muttered miserably.

"Well, I can guarantee that Aubrey feels exactly the same." Beca replied. "Look, I'll talk to her, just see what's going on that head of hers. But in the meantime, you can't just give up. Do you want Aubrey to see you like this when she comes back? What do you say we get you cleaned up and then I'll help you clean up the apartment too?"

Chloe's lip quirked slightly. "Guess I am a mess huh? I'll clean the place up. But tomorrow…I'm just so tired."

Beca eyed her worriedly but nodded. "A shower will make you feel better but you can save the apartment for tomorrow. And I really don't mind swinging by tomorrow to help, really. But Chloe…no more drinking ok? That's not helping, in fact with the medications you're on, it can really mess you up. So can I have the bottle?"

The brunette reached to take the bottle of liquor still clutched tightly in Chloe's hand. The redhead let her remove the bottle with a sigh. She watched as Beca moved from the couch and poured the remaining liquid down the sink.

"Ok Chloe, how about you go take a shower and I'll at least help you get a jump start on the cleaning. I'll just get some of the trash picked up ok?"

Chloe nodded and wearily made her way out of the room to clean up. When she returned fifteen minutes later, her hair was damp and she was in a clean tank top and lounge pants. Beca had to admit it was a vast improvement. While the redhead had been showering, she had managed to gather two bags of trash, mostly empty bottles of alcohol, but the place was still far from Aubrey's usual standards of cleanliness.

Now that Chloe was out of the baggy t-shirt and in a more form fitting tank top, Beca frowned at how thin the other woman had become. But at least she was clean.

"What are you going to do the rest of the evening?" Beca questioned.

Chloe smiled sadly and shrugged. "I really just want to sleep."

"Will you be alright?"

"Oh yeah." The redhead replied, once again trying to smile. "I'm fine Beca, really. Thanks for checking on me, I appreciate it. I'm sorry I'm such a mess…"

"Don't worry about it." Beca replied immediately. "I can stick around if you want, help you finish cleaning, just veg on the couch…whatever you need."

Chloe finally smiled but shook her head. "Thanks Beca but really, I'm ok. Aubrey and I will figure this out, don't worry about us. I'm probably just gonna crash for the night."

Beca worried her bottom lip between her teeth, trying to decide whether or not to believe her friend. She let Chloe pull her in for a quick hug and wrapped her arms around the thin woman.

"Really Beca, I'm fine." Chloe insisted. "Go on, have a good night with Jesse. Go get started on those aca-babies."

The brunette chuckled and pulled away shaking her head. "No aca-babies any time soon. Ok, I'll call you tomorrow ok? Just get some rest Chloe…and maybe eat something with some nutritional value."

Chloe saluted the shorter woman and walked her to the door. When she was alone again, she glanced around her surroundings once again. Her eyes landed on the boys tennis shoes still in the corner of the room and then on the picture of the three of them together on the mantle. The redhead clenched her jaw and headed into the kitchen. She opened one of the bottom cabinets and pulled out another bottle of liquor, once again foregoing a glass.

xxxx

_We have to talk, it's about Chloe._

The text she had received from Beca the night before was plaguing Aubrey's mind. She hadn't replied to the text, opting instead to once again cry herself to sleep. It had taken all the energy she had to pull herself out of bed that morning in time for her Pilates class. She was determined to go to try regain some sense of normalcy in her life.

The sound of someone stomping up behind her mat had the blonde turning to glance over her shoulder. Beca plopped down on the empty mat next her, dark jeans and doc martins firmly in place in a room full of spandex and other workout attire.

"You're ignoring me." Beca hissed.

Aubrey quirked a brow at the sight of the other woman. "You look ridiculous. You can't do Pilates in that outfit."

"Yeah well, I'm not here to do fucking Pilates, I'm here to talk to you."

"Beca," Aubrey sighed. "Please just stay out of this. It's Chloe and I's problem and we'll deal with it."

"But you're not dealing with it!" Beca exclaimed, ignoring the annoyed stares from the other class members. Aubrey cringed. "Yes, you had something horrible happen and you deserve all the mental breakdowns in the world but you and Chloe can't split up over this! You need each other!"

"Not here." The blonde hissed. "If you insist on discussing this, can we at least go outside?"

"Yes, thank God." Beca replied, already hopping up from her position on the mat.

Aubrey sighed and followed her out. She joined her in the parking lot and motioned to a small park across the road where there were benches and privacy. Aubrey zipped her jacket a little higher to ward off the breeze as it chilled her sweaty skin. "Well, talk."

Beca sighed, uncertain of how to address the situation. "I saw Chloe yesterday."

The brunette's eyes narrowed slightly when she saw Aubrey's breath catch. "And? How is she?"

"Not great."

Aubrey's eyes snapped to Beca's then, worry evident, if only for a moment. The blonde swallowed thickly and straightened her back on the bench where they were seated. Beca wanted to slap her for once again stamping down her obvious concern for her wife.

"She needs you." Beca continued, determined to break through to other woman. "She thinks you blame her for Caleb. I told her that's crazy."

The muscles in Aubrey's jaw flexed as she clenched and looked away. "Yeah, well…"

"Aubrey…you can't be serious!" the brunette exclaimed. "Chloe is…was…a great mom and you know it! She would never, _ever_ hurt Caleb. How could you let her think that? That is bullshit and you know it! You're just too much of a coward to admit that you're not really mad at Chloe at all. You don't blame Chloe at all…you're just afraid to admit that you actually blame yourself."

Aubrey's eyes once again snapped to meet Beca's dark eyed gaze. The intensity she found there left the blonde tearing. "What?"

Beca nodded, happy she finally had her friend's full attention. "It's not Chloe you're mad at Aubrey. It's yourself…You're wondering if there was something you should have done differently, juggled things differently so that maybe it would have been you taking Caleb to practice. You're always at fault…always. At least that's what your family has had you convinced of. But I thought Chloe had finally gotten you to see how wrong they are."

The sight of Aubrey's lip trembling as she tried to subtly wipe away her tears gave the brunette hope that she might be able to break through after all. "Admit it Aubrey…you blame yourself just like Chloe blames herself."

Tears began to stream steadily down the blonde's cheeks and she nodded, choking on a sob. Beca sighed and scooted closer to the woman, wrapping an arm around her. When Aubrey finally regained control of her emotions she let out a soft chuckle.

"How did you get so intuitive?"

Beca smiled and bumped the other woman's shoulder with her own. "Who do you think Chloe comes to when she's worried about your neuroses? Did your father say something to you the day of the funeral?"

Aubrey nodded and dropped her gaze to the ground between her feet. "He said I never have my priorities in order…that Caleb shouldn't have been in a silly after school play...that it was my fault basically."

"Well your dad always has been an asshole…and you know it."

The taller woman continued to gaze at the ground, worrying her lip between her teeth. "He was right though…maybe if I hadn't felt like I had to put so many hours in at the office or-"

"No." Beca interrupted. "No Aubrey. You and Chloe were amazing moms. Of course you worked hard. You worked hard to support your family and you can think 'what if' all you like but it won't change anything. The accident was horrible but it wasn't your fault and it wasn't Chloe's. It was just shitty, horrible timing. Don't let one tragedy turn into two."

"Ok…so what if you're right?" Aubrey whispered with a shrug. "Too much has happened, we're too far apart."

The two sat silently for a few moments, both seemingly lost in thought.

"Tell me about when you two finally got together…made it official." Beca finally said softly.

Aubrey turned to her friend, confusion written on her face. "Beca you know that story…you were all there."

"Tell me again."

The blonde sighed wearily but nodded. "It was after the ICCA's. We'd been…more than friends for a year or so but we never really talked about it. We just were."

Beca smiled as Aubrey seemed to get lost in the memory. "Go on."

"Our first time was after that fiasco that was my junior year ICCA's." Aubrey continued. "Chloe helped me off the stage, practically carried me, and took me back to the hotel room. She didn't even give Alice a chance to get her hands on me. She cleaned me up and then…she kissed me."

The brunette simply sat, waiting expectantly for her friend to continue.

Aubrey stared at her hands folded in her lap as she spoke again. "She was so patient with me…always has been. Chloe has never been shy but the night of the ICCA's senior year, she found me after and she looked so nervous. That's when she told me she was in love with me. Of course I was in love with her too, how could I not be? But she was so nervous! It was adorable.

Chloe kissed me first, told me how she felt first…she was even the one to ask me to marry her." The blonde continued. "She's always been the courageous one willing to put herself out there. And I just…coast."

"Doesn't have to be that way." Beca responded quietly. "The Aubrey and Chloe who got together after the ICCA's and stood up to their parents and have done so many amazing things…they're not gone. You guys can work this out. You know you can! Now come on, admit it…you freaking love your wife and want to fix things."

Aubrey stared firmly back at her friend and nodded, fresh tears pooling in her eyes. Beca smiled tenderly. "I knew it. I can totally see your toner for her through those pants."

"That's my dick." Aubrey said with a chuckle, causing the brunette to laugh as well. After a moment, she grew serious again. "Beca, what do I do now?"

"Well," she replied thoughtfully. "You don't want to lose her…so you'd better be the one to put yourself out there this time. Go talk to her. Tell her what you're feeling. The main thing is just to talk to her, let her in."

"I've been so terrible…will she even want to talk to me?" Aubrey whispered.

Beca smiled at her friend. "I told you I saw her yesterday. Of course she wants to talk to you. She loves you Aubrey. And you need each other. You lost Caleb, you can't lose each other too. Please, just go talk to her."

"Ok." The blonde said with a nod. "I'll go now. But if she doesn't let me in I'm coming to your place and kicking your ass for getting my hopes up."

"Deal."

xxxx

Aubrey knocked awkwardly on her own apartment door. She didn't hear anything from the other side and knocked again. She had seen Chloe's car in the parking lot so unless the redhead had gone out for a walk, she had to be inside.

Aubrey knocked a third time and at still hearing no sound, she pulled out her key and let herself in. Her eyes widened at the state of their usually tidy apartment. She moved further into the apartment, into the kitchen and once again eyed the mess. With a sigh, she picked up an empty liquor bottle from the counter.

"Oh babe, you know you're not supposed to drink on those meds…" she said softly to herself. "Chloe? Chloe are you here?"

Aubrey turned to look for her wife in their bedroom but a single piece of paper on the kitchen table caught her eye. It was a short letter addressed to her.

_Dear Aubrey,_

_You've always been it for me, since the day we met our freshman year at Barden I knew I loved you. I still love you, always will. And I am so, so sorry. For everything. Please forgive me, someday._

_Chloe._

The blonde smiled as she read the letter a third time. Chloe did still love her. "Chloe, baby? I'm home, can we talk?"

She still heard no reply and made her way back to their bedroom. The room was empty but Aubrey saw that the bathroom door was closed and so she knocked on it softly.

"Chloe, babe? I saw your letter. Chloe, I love you so much and I'm so sorry…please, can we talk? We can work through this, I know we can! Chloe?"

She knocked softly on the door to the bathroom again after still hearing no sound on the other side. "Chloe, are you in there? Are you alright?"

Aubrey felt a shiver of fear run down her spine. "Chloe, I'm coming in!"

She pushed open the door and her eyes immediately fell on the numerous empty prescription bottles on the bathroom counter and floor. Her heart stopped at the sight of Chloe, unconscious in the tub, her head just above the water level.

"_Chloe_!"

Aubrey rushed to the tub and grabbed her wife under her arms, hoisting her from the water to lay her on the bathroom floor. "No, no shit. Chloe!"

The blonde lightly smacked Chloe's face, hoping to elicit a reaction of some sort. "Chloe please! What did you do? Shit."

The taller woman pushed herself up from the floor and sprinted across the bedroom to grab their landline phone since it was closer than her cell phone still in her purse downstairs. She typed out 911 with trembling fingers before dropping back to the floor next to the unconscious woman.

"Yes, please, I need an ambulance!" She exclaimed when the operator connected. "My wife, I think she overdosed…please hurry!"

The 911 operator directed her to check for a pulse and Aubrey clenched her jaw at feeling only a faint thump against her fingers. "Yes, there's a pulse but it's weak. What can I do? Please hurry!"

"Ma'am, help is on the way. Do you have anything to induce vomiting? Or you can try your fingers. If you can get her to vomit it might help until the paramedics arrive."

Aubrey swallowed thickly, the irony of the situation not lost on her. She placed the phone down and gently rolled Chloe forward and onto her stomach. The blonde reached one arm around her wife and pulled her against her chest. With her other trembling hand, she closed her eyes and shoved two fingers into the redhead's mouth.

"Come on Chloe." She cried as she continued to try to force the other woman to gag. "You do not get to leave me too. Please baby, _please_!"

Finally, Chloe jerked slightly and gagged against Aubrey's hand. A small amount of vomit was expelled and the redhead whimpered but didn't open her fluttering eyes. Aubrey reached for a towel and covered her wife's naked form. She pulled Chloe into her arms, rocking gently, as she waited for the paramedics to finally arrive.

xxxx

"Where is she?" Beca asked the nurse frantically as she rushed into the hospital once again.

The nurse directed her to the public bathroom just down the hall. As Beca neared, she could already hear the sounds of vomiting coming from the other side of the door. She glanced to her left where Amy was chatting with someone in scrubs, and steeled herself before slipping into the bathroom.

Aubrey was on all fours bent over the toilet. The brunette rushed forward as the taller woman began to choke not only on vomit but on her sobs as well. Beca pulled Aubrey back, hoping to calm her enough to at least let the woman catch her breath.

"Oh God." Aubrey choked as Beca pulled her into her arms. "She…Chloe…"

"I know." The brunette said, trying to soothe her friend. "Have you heard anything?"

"No." Aubrey wailed, still trying to control her sobbing. "What if I was too late? I can't do this again…I can't go through this again, I _can't_!"

Amy sidestepped a puddle of vomit on the floor and squatted next to the two women. "Here, I rounded up something for you to change into…you've got a few chunks…well everywhere really."

Beca took the nurses' scrubs gratefully and pulled Aubrey to her feet unsteadily. "Come on Bree, let's get you changed and cleaned up. By then maybe we'll be able to find out something ok?"

Aubrey nodded and allowed the two women to help clean her and help her change into the clean clothes.

xxxx

Luckily the friends did not have to wait hours as they had after the accident. Shortly after they exited the bathroom a doctor stepped into the room and called Aubrey's name. She wearily rose from her seat, expecting the worst. Beca and Amy stood close to their friend.

"She's resting comfortably." The doctor said. "She's groggy and having her stomach pumped was no doubt unpleasant so she most likely won't feel great for a few days…but she'll be fine."

Aubrey clamped a hand over her mouth and sagged into Beca slightly. "She's really alright? No complications or…she's going to be ok?"

The doctor nodded. "She's in room 417, just around the corner there."

Aubrey was sprinting for her wife's room before the man finished speaking. She busted into the room, desperate to see for herself that Chloe was still with her. The redhead was struggling to keep her eyes open but she was most definitely alive.

"Chloe! Baby, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry!"

Aubrey covered the last few feet between them quickly and dropped a tearful kiss to her wife's forehead, reluctant to pull away. She cupped both of Chloe's cheeks and dropped to her knees next to the bed so they would be at eye level.

"Bree?" Chloe whispered with a wince, her throat aching from where the tubes had scratched her.

"Chloe." Aubrey said softly through her tears. "I know we need to have a serious talk…about all of this…but for right now, can I just hold you? Please?"

The redhead blinked tears away tiredly, unsure if what she was hearing was real or a hallucination. "Really? Are you really here?"

Aubrey nodded, still gently stroking her wife's face. "Yeah, I'm here Chloe. You're going to be ok…we're going to be ok Chloe. Ok? Caleb wasn't your fault, it wasn't. It may not have even been my fault. We'll figure it out. But I love you ok?"

Chloe finally nodded and scooted the best she could to make room for the blonde, who was scrambling up onto the bed to pull her wife to her. The redhead turned and rested her head on Aubrey's shoulder, draping an arm over the woman's waist. Aubrey placed another tender kiss on her wife's head before sliding further down into the bed and pulling Chloe as close to her as possible.

"I've been stupid." Aubrey whispered as she felt Chloe's breathing even out once again. "But I can't live without you Chloe so please…don't ever do something like that again, do you understand me? Promise me."

"Promise." Chloe muttered softly before she finally drifted off, her wife holding her tightly.

xxxx

"Good God Chloe, you should have seen it." Amy said with a chuckle. "I haven't seen that much puke since a certain Bella performance became a YouTube sensation. It was everywhere, on the walls, on the floor…on the ceiling."

Chloe smiled slightly, appreciating the fact that her friends were trying to lighten her spirits. The doctors had informed her that hospital regulations require a psychological evaluation before they can discharge a patient in on a suicide attempt. Aubrey had been patient with her, not pushing for an explanation. Which was good because Chloe wasn't certain she could give one.

Finally, the morning after the overdose, a doctor in a crisp white jacket came strolling into the room.

"Good morning Chloe, my name is Dr. Ferris. I'm the psychiatrist here at the hospital. I'm sure you've been made aware that when someone tries to commit suicide, they have to be evaluated mentally before we can allow them to be discharged…just a safety precaution. Is now alright Chloe?"

"Um, sure." Chloe said softly, her voice still cracking from her sore throat due to the tubes. She glanced to her side where Aubrey was still sitting, clutching her hand.

The blonde cleared her throat awkwardly. "I can go if you want some privacy-"

"No!" Chloe cried suddenly. "Please, can she stay? She should probably hear everything anyway…You need to know so you can decide if it's worth sticking around for."

Aubrey could tell the redhead was trying to make a joke but she could also see the pain her wife's eyes. "I left you once…I'm not leaving again." She insisted before turning back to Dr. Ferris. "Can I stay?"

The doctor nodded and pulled another chair up on the other side of the bed. "Ok Chloe, can you tell me what happened yesterday?"

"It's all a little fuzzy." The redhead replied, feeling Aubrey squeeze her hand in support. "I had been drinking…a lot. And I took pills."

"And why did you do that?" Dr. Ferris asked, taking notes but still paying attention.

Chloe sighed, once again glancing toward her wife. "I can't say for sure really, I don't even remember taking them. But I guess it all started when our son died. I was driving the car but I don't remember anything about the wreck…Caleb died in the accident. Aubrey and I tried but…we had problems and she left. But this is not her fault, I don't blame her, I mean I didn't do this just because she left…I just, I wish I knew what happened to Caleb. I feel so guilty…maybe more so because I can't remember the thing that killed my son! I gave birth to him and I can't even remember when he died."

The doctor nodded thoughtfully, perfectly calm, even as Chloe struggled to control her own emotions. "And how are you feeling now?"

"Tired…scared…but not so alone anymore."

Aubrey felt tears threatening once again as Chloe refused to tear her gaze away from her own. She smiled at her wife and for the first time since Caleb died, she felt connected to the woman she loved. "Chloe, baby I'm so sorry." Aubrey said softly, both now ignoring the doctor completely. "I'm so sorry I ever let you feel alone. I shut down and I shut you out and I am so sorry! But we can get through this, I know we can. But it has to be together so you can't leave me. We'll go to counseling, we can do this!"

Chloe nodded, smiling through her tears. "I'm so sorry Aubrey…I'm so sorry you had to find me like that. I won't do it again, I promise!" She turned back to the doctor who continued to quietly observe the two women. "Please, can I go home? I won't drink…I'll go to counseling…Please? I swear, this was just a stupid, drunken accident!"

The doctor cleared his throat and stood to his feet. Both women eyed him anxiously as he continued to scribble notes into her file. "Well, as long as you agree to follow up with me in my office within thirty-six hours and stick to your medication-with no alcohol of course, I don't see why you can't be released into your wife's care. I do recommend fairly constant supervision for the next few days. Again, just as a safety precaution."

Aubrey squeezed her wife's hand and nodded to the doctor. "I promise, I'll keep an eye on her this time."

"Alright, I'll make sure the nurse leaves you my contact information so that you can schedule an appointment."

After the doctor left, the two chatted softly, making plans for when they returned home. Aubrey had already sent Beca to the apartment to empty out all the alcohol and "Chloe-proof it" as Amy phrased it. The blonde stepped out of the room to go chat with a nurse about the discharge papers. While they obviously still had a lot to work through, both women at least felt that now they had a fighting chance.

Aubrey was leaning against the desk waiting for a nurse to return when she felt someone stop next to her. She glanced up, surprised to see Eddie, their teenage neighbor, standing next to her. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked as if he were struggling to keep from breaking down.

"Eddie?" Aubrey asked worriedly. "What's wrong, what are you doing here? Is your mom ok?"

"Is she ok?" Eddie asked, starting to shift nervously from foot to foot. "Is Chloe ok? I swear to God, I never meant for this to happen. I didn't mean for any of it to happen, you gotta believe me!"

Aubrey narrowed her eyes at the younger man, trying to make sense of what he was saying. "Never meant for what to happen Eddie? What are you talking about?"

The boy shook his head frantically, a few tears finally escaping. "The wreck! I didn't mean for it to happen! It was all my fault. Only I didn't know who it was until the next day, I swear. I didn't know it was Chloe and your kid! If I had known it was them I would have stopped!"

Aubrey felt her blood run cold as she listened to the boy ramble.

"I had a few drinks and I wasn't paying attention. I didn't mean to run her off the road, I was going too fast! I didn't even realize it until it was too late. I didn't even hit my brakes…I just watched in my rearview mirror as the car swerved and then started rolling…I swear I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"It was you…" Aubrey whispered. "It wasn't Chloe's fault at all and this whole time she thought…Come with me."

With a growl, the blonde grabbed the boy roughly by the arm and dragged him back down the hospital corridor. They burst into Chloe's room, startling the redhead who was dozing slightly.

"Tell her." Aubrey hissed. "You tell her what you just told me!"

"Aubrey…Eddie? What's going on?" Chloe asked from the bed.

The boy dropped his head, crying. "It's all my fault…I made you wreck that night. I ran you off the road…and then I just left…I didn't even call for help. I didn't know it was you though I swear! I'm so sorry, I'll never drink and drive again, I promise!"

He rushed closer to the bed, reaching for Chloe almost. Aubrey stepped in front of him and shoved him back slightly. "Don't you touch her. It was you! Everything that we've been through has been because of you!"

Eddie continued to cry. Aubrey turned back to Chloe, afraid to see how she was taking the news but knowing the other woman needed to hear it. The redhead seemed frozen as the boys words finally sank in.

"You…you made me wreck?" She asked, dumbfounded. "So all this time…"

Aubrey reached for her wife's hand. "Chloe?"

"Does your mother know?" Chloe said, trembling. As Eddie shook his head 'no' she closed her eyes and released a shaky breath, still holding Aubrey's hand. "Then go tell her. Now. And tell her we'll be calling her."

xxxx

Six weeks later

The following weeks passed quietly. Both women were attending counseling regularly and had each promised to set time aside every day for the two of them to simply talk and reconnect. The blonde was coming home from work at a normal time and Chloe was spending more time during the day at the dance studio and sticking to her normal medication schedule. Their relationship was still somewhat awkward but both were determined to make it work.

One evening, Aubrey found herself running slightly later than usual as she came in from work. She didn't think much of it until she stepped foot into their silent apartment.

"Chloe?"

As she was met with silence, Aubrey couldn't help but let her mind wander back to the sight of her wife unconscious in the tub. The blonde dropped her purse on the table, scanning quickly for another note. She rushed through the apartment to the bedroom and stopped short at once again seeing the bathroom door closed.

Aubrey swallowed thickly. "Chloe…baby?"

Still getting no response, the blonde charged forward, throwing the bathroom door open forcefully. Chloe squeaked in surprise from her spot soaking in the tub, hair piled high on her head and her ear buds in, music blasting.

"Aubrey? What's wrong?" The redhead quickly stood to her feet and tossed the ear buds to the side, oblivious to the fact that she was nude.

Aubrey scanned her eyes over her wife's body, her breath evening out as she realized she hadn't found her near death again. The sight of her wife's damp body sent a spark of heat through the blonde and she once again rushed forward. She pushed Chloe back against the tub wall, kissing her soundly.

Aubrey pulled away at Chloe's soft yelp at having been pushed into the wall a little harder than intended. "Shit babe, are you alright?"

Chloe nodded almost frantically before pulling Aubrey back to her, reconnecting their lips. As the kiss grew more heated, Chloe gasped as she felt the blonde lifting her. She wrapped her legs around the taller woman and before she could comprehend, Aubrey turned and carried her back through the bedroom and dropped her onto the bed, falling forward with her as well.

Aubrey sat up to shrug out of her suit jacket and blouse before leaning forward once again and reconnecting their lips. Chloe moaned into the kiss and quickly worked to rid the other woman of her remaining items of clothing. When skin finally settled against skin, Aubrey reached and pulled the tie from the redhead's hair, letting it cascade over her shoulders.

The two remained wrapped in each other's arms long after their breathing had finally settled.

"Wow." Chloe whispered. "God I've missed you. And that whole carrying me thing? Hot."

Aubrey blushed slightly and buried her head in her wife's shoulder before once again meeting her bright blue gaze. "Yeah, about that…I'm gonna need you to eat at least three cheeseburgers and an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's. You're still way too thin love."

Chloe smiled tenderly and pressed a lingering kiss to the blonde's lips. "Bree?"

"Yeah babe?"

"What were you thinking, when you busted into the bathroom? You looked terrified."

Aubrey rolled onto her back and fixed her gaze on the ceiling. Chloe turned with her, hovering slightly. The blonde blinked back tears and finally looked back to her wife who was eyeing her worriedly. "I thought I'd find you again…I called for you but you didn't answer. Just like when…"

Realization dawned on Chloe then and she too felt tears begin to sting her eyes. "I'm so sorry Aubrey…for everything. It was stupid and selfish of me. You don't have to worry about that ok?"

Aubrey nodded, reaching to brush red locks behind Chloe's ear. "Ok. But do you think maybe you could bathe with the door open for a while?"

At the blonde's wry grin, Chloe chuckled. "Deal." She sighed and settled on Aubrey's shoulder, once again wrapped tightly around each other. "Do you think we did the right thing with Eddie? I mean sure he's going to be doing community service unit he's 21 and the judge took his license away for that long too but…do you think six months in the juvenile detention center was enough? Is that enough for Caleb-"

Aubrey heard the tears in her wife's voice and she shifted so that she could see her. "Nothing could ever be enough Chloe. But he didn't intentionally hurt anyone. He's going to have to live with what he did for the rest of his life. I just hope he learned something from all this."

Chloe nodded against Aubrey's shoulder. The two had gone so far as to speak to the judge on the boys behalf, mostly for their own closure and healing. They also wanted to avoid a lengthy trial. They had to admit that Eddie did seem remorseful over what he had done. But part of them both wanted a more stringent punishment.

"I miss him so much." Chloe whispered.

Aubrey tightened her grip around the smaller woman. "I know babe, me too. He really was just about the perfect kid. Can you believe we had someone so perfect?"

"Hey, speak for yourself…we're pretty awesome. You in particular." The redhead responded, snuggling in closer.

Aubrey pressed a kiss to Chloe's forehead. "You're just biased."

"Yep." She responded immediately. "Proudly so. But you are amazing Aubrey…I just hate that I didn't pick up on what was going on. I'm so sorry…I swear if your dad ever has the nerve to show his face here again I'll-"

"Chloe, we were both in pretty bad places. You shouldn't have had to pick up on that, I should have told you. I shouldn't have shut you out. So, I'm sorry too."

Chloe pushed herself up onto her elbow and smiled down at her wife. "We are such adults. I love you Aubrey Posen-Beale."

"I love you too…so much." Aubrey whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you, for not leaving me."

Chloe reached and cupped the blonde's cheek tenderly. She smiled again and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

xxxx

Epilogue…a few years later

Aubrey panted out a laugh as the tiny bundle was placed into her arms. She gazed down at her son in awe, unable to stop the tears that began to sting. Chloe was by her side, one arm wrapped around her shoulders, the other gently helping to dab away the sweat and tears.

"Oh my God." The blonde whispered.

"You did so good baby!" Chloe exclaimed, kissing her wife's temple. She reached placed the hand that wasn't around Aubrey's shoulders on their baby's head. "Hey there little man! God Aubrey, he's perfect!"

The blonde laughed and tore her eyes away from the baby to meet her wife's teary gaze. "This was a lot different than watching you do it."

Chloe laughed and winked. "Twice now, don't you forget." She turned back to the baby and gently stroked his cheek with her fingertip as he yawned. "Little Braden. Your big sister Anna is so excited to meet you! And your aunts Beca and Amy and Stacie and your uncle Jesse…and we're going to tell you all about your big brother Caleb. You are going to have the best life ever! We'll even get you a puppy!"

"A puppy?" Aubrey exclaimed, chuckling at the redhead's enthusiasm. "Think maybe we can get everyone in the house potty trained before we introduce something else that can't control its bladder?"

Chloe pouted momentarily but then turned back to the little tightly wrapped bundle. "Ok, maybe we'll wait a few years for the puppy. But someday! But you are so loved little man, and we're going to make sure you don't ever forget it. Your mom and I love you so much…welcome to the family."

Aubrey and Chloe's eyes met again. They both smiled through their tears. Chloe leaned down and pressed her lips to Aubrey's, both sighing in contentment. The redhead squeezed her wife lovingly as the two continued to gaze at the newest addition to their little family.


End file.
